The Apex Nano hits the Trail

We finally are testing out the new trailer, a 2017 Apex Nano 19-foot BHS model by Coachman, being pulled by my Jeep Grand Cherokee.  It supports a full-sized dinette slideout, large refrigerator/freezer, two back bunk beds, and one queen bed--a layout that had proven difficult to find.  First purchased in March, the two planned trailer test runs did not materialize between surgeries, illnesses, and events that were happening over the summer.  But on October 3, at 8:00 a.m., the Nano finally was loaded and sufficiently ready to pull out.  Additional shelving, pull out drawers, hooks, and other amenities to customize the trailer for our needs remain to be added, but the Nano is fit to travel.

It was windy in Mendocino the past two days, so we had joked that we might only make it as far as Willits or perhaps, if we were lucky, to Benbow.   But the winds had died, and we sailed past the KOA in Willits, and turned north on Highway 101.  Although we had frequent stops for roadwork, we still made good time, and had our lunch in Fortuna (having zipped by Benbow) at the Riverwalk Center.  We decided to press on to above Crescent City.  We passed a KOA just south of Smith River, but were heading for the old Ship-A-Shore resort.  We had looked on the web and the resort was marked permanently closed, but another link also was shown as active and the telephone number had transferred us to the "front office" where we were invited to leave a message, so we were unsure what we would find as we neared our destination.  Sadly, it is indeed permanently closed.

The lovely resort at the mouth of the exquisite Smith River was dilapidated and definitely closed.  No more motel, no RV park, and no restaurant bustled with life--only a few year-round permanent trailers sat forlornly on what was once a lovely place.  I shared memories with Liz of dancing to live music after a Board meeting on the dance floor thirty years ago at the end of the bar, enjoying several great meals over the years looking out at the breathtaking view, and the happy times I had with the folks starting 20-odd years ago as we traveled and often stayed in the large suite sitting on our private balcony overlooking the estuary and watching the diverse bird life--it has been ten years or more since I was last there.  But the place is sadly just a ghost now.  We decided to push on to Brookings.

By now, we had traveled long miles, and we were both ready to find a good RV park, and had identified the Beachfront RV Park near Brookings harbor as a likely candidate.  It was not full of amenities, such as grass and roominess, but the view from our overnight space was spectacular (see above) as we were less than 50 feet from the high tide line, and immediately adjacent to the Winchuck River.  After watching the sunset (below) from our camp, we slept listening to the sounds of the ocean crashing for the first night in the little Nano.

The next morning, we walked along the Winchuck jetty and watched the circle of small fishing boats rotating as they motored counter-clockwise at the very mouth of the river hoping to hook one of the incoming salmon.  Although we watched for awhile, we didn't see any salmon landed.

Today, Wednesday, our goal was to leave Brookings and push on to Bandon, Oregon, with stops along the way.